Effective Test Management - Choosing a Test Management Tool

Testing and validating a software is an important part of software development. The test management process can be done with word processors or spreadsheets; however, as the world of software development expands, there is a growing need for a more effective testing process, as well as for integrative testing tools.

In order to understand why we need test management tools, we should first understand what makes a test management process valuable. An effective test management process allows teams to plan, develop, execute and assess the entire testing process. This end-to-end process, or the software testing life cycle, begins in the products' requirements, or the SDD (Software Design Description).

The requirements provide information about the system under test (SUT). Once you have defined your requirements, you can proceed to write tests and test steps, execute them, and report the issues detected in the process.

A good software testing tool will cover all these components - Requirements, Tests and issues, and will allow you to integrate between them. This way, your team members can track the entire process - for example, if a requirement is not yet complete, they will be able to see the specific issues that arose from that requirement, and the tests they were detected by.

Different companies work in different ways; each one has its own unique work methodology. This is why customization is also critical in a software testing tool. A user-friendly tool will be intuitive and easy to use, but it should also be highly customizable, so that it changes according to your needs and not vice versa.

A good software testing tool also allows you to disperse the workload wisely. By assigning tasks to different team members - developers, testers and administrators alike, you can manage your workload, reducing stress and increasing your team members' productivity.

Another important aspect of a test management tool is an efficient reporting system; this provides you with information about the current state of the system under test, it lets you see the big picture and recognize your weak spots. Graphic presentation of the current state is very helpful - it makes the relevant data pop out and makes it much easier to review.

Finally, a good test management tool will allow you to import and export your data, so that your previous work is not lost, and you can always switch to a new tool should the need arise.

See more tips on how to develop a good test management process, or see a complete overview of an end-to-end test management tool on practitest.com.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6345356

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